Inlay pad and means for and method of making same



Dec. 29, 1931. w. J. MCNALLY 1,838,103

INLAY PAD AND MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Oct. 17, 1930 5'67. 2 i /z I? 7 f/ 4 v 7 /Z" m v Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE WILLIAM J'JMEZNALLY, OF FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO DENNISON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF FRAMINGHAM,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS INLAY IPAIYAN'D MEANS FORAND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Application filed October 17, 1930. Serial No.489,325.

This invention relates to the art of making pads as well as to pads ofthe type comprislng a base, covering material and a filler havingopenings therethrough. These pads are useful for supporting articles ofjewelry, safety razors and the like, usually for display purposes,although in some instances the pads constitute parts of'a container, asthe base ora removable tray of a jewel case. It is customary to providearticle receiving depressions or recesses on the top of such a pad byremovingportions of the filler. When this is done, it becomesmoredifficult to apply the covering material so as to produce a neat,well-appearing pad, especially without unduly increasing the cost ofmanufacture thereof.

Objects of the present invention are to improve the art of making padsof the class referred to by simplifying the process of making the sameso as to reduce the cost thereof; to provide for attaching the coveringmaterial, filler and'base of a pad by a single operation; and also toprovide a pad of the class described having an improved construction andarrangement of parts.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a presser member or die;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of apad with a portion of the coveringmaterial broken away;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing a portion of the presser membersuperimposed on a pad of the type shown in Fig. 2 in the process ofmaking the same;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Fig. 4, but showing modified forms ofpads; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, of the pad shown inFig. 6.

The presser member or die shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing comprises asubstantially continuous outer band 10, preferably of material havinggood heat conductivity, such as brass, and an interior body portion 111This body portion is so formed that the surface 12 thereof is spacedinwardly from the edge of the band and is provided with raised portions13 and 14, having any desired configuration such as the shapes shown andprotruding from the surface 14 substantially to the plane of the outersurface of the band 10. Preferably the outermost portions of therotruding members 13 and 14 are also ormed of material having good heatconductivity, as, for example, of copper strips 16 and 17 The pad shownin Figs. 2 and 4 comprises a base member 21, which may be of cardboardor other suitable material, and which is preferably covered with a sheetof paper 22, the paper being turned over the edge and attached to theunder side of the base, as indicated at 23 (Fig. 4). A suitable filler24, which may be either soft or hard, is disposed on the upper surfaceof the base and is provided with openings or recesses 26, 27, whichextend entirely through the filler and are positioned to receive theraised portions 13 and 14 of the die shown in Fig. 1.

In the process of making the pad shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the filler 24is placed upon the base in the desired position and covering material 29is arranged above the filler with thermoplastic material 28 disposedbetween the covering material and the upper surface of the filler aswell as across the openings therein above the base. This'thermoplasticmaterial may be of the liquid or so-called varnish type, in which caseit may be applied as a coating to the back of the covering material, orto the upper surfaces of the filler and of the base. Thermoplasticmaterial of the gutta-percha type is also well suited for these purposesand may be applied in the form of a substantially continuous sheet.

When the various parts of the pad have been arranged in this manner, thebase is positioned on a support 31 (Fig. 4) in such a position that therecesses 26 and 27 of the filler will register with and receive theraised portions 13 and l4 of the die. It will be apparent that as thedie is pressed against the pad, the raised portions will enter therecesses and the outer band 10 will bear against the marginal portion 32of the covering material while the surfaces 12 of the presser memberwill bear against the ortions of the covering material which are isposedacross the upper surface of the filler. In order to provlde for afiixingthe covering material to the filler as well as to the base member withinthe ,openings through the filler, heat is applied to the thermoplasticmaterial as the die is caused to bear against the covering material.This ma be accomplished by heating directl only t e lower surfaces ofthe band 10 an the plates 16 and 17 as these members are effective inproducing the bond which draws and holds the covering taut. As theseprotuberances on the die are bein heated, sulficient heat is conductedto the body portion 11 to render this part effective for sealing thecovering material to the upper surface of the filler, although the bodportion may be heated directly should t is be desired. As the heated dieis projected against the covering material, heat is transmitted to thethermoplastic material, thereby causing the latter to seal the coverinmaterial ,to the base, as well as to the fil er. In some cases, howeverheat may also be a plied to the support, in which event it is con uctedthrou h the base member to the thermoplastic material. When the latterprocedure is followed, it may not be necessary to cause thethermoplastic material disposed on the upp r surface of the filler toseal the covering material to this surface in which event the upperpresser member or die need not be heated, for the thermoplasticmaterialdisposed on the base within the openings in the filler is effective to hold the covering material taut over the surface of the filler.

In some cases it is advantageous, instead of using a substantiallycontinuous coating or sheet of thermoplastic material 28, to provideindependent upper and lower coatings or sheets of this material, asshown in Fig. 5 for example. In this view, the upper layer or coating ofthermoplastic mater1a1= 28' is disposed only on the upper surface of thefiller 24, and whenthis is applied in the form of a sheet it will beunderstood that the sheet preferably is made to fit the upper surface ofthe filler, so as to insure a neat and well appearing pad. In this formof pad another coating or sheet of thermoplastic material 28" isdisposed on the base member and arranged to cover substantially theentire surface thereof which is contiguous to the lower surface of thefiller. Both of these coatings or layers of thermoplastic material mayreceive heat from the presser member during the forming operations, sothat the lower layer forms a bond between the base and the coveringmaterial which is pressed into the recesses, while the upper layerbecomes effective to secure the covering material to the upper surfacesof the filler. If suflicient heat is applied, the lower layer ofthermoplastic material also serves to bond the filler directly to thebase. Likewise 'as pointed out with respect to the process illustratedin Fig. 4, this heat may in some cases be applied by heating only thesupport 31 or by heating both the support 31 and the presser member asdesired. It will be seen therefore that whether one layer ofthermoplastic material 28 is used as in Fig. 4 or the layers 28' and28", as in Fig. 5, the covering material may nevertheless be attached tothe filler and, in the recesses, to the base member by a singleoperation of the die or presser member.

The pad illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 comg prises a paper-covered,cardboard base member 35, covering material 36 and a two-part fillerconsisting of a lower imperforate filler strip 37 ahd an upper fillerstrip 38 coextensive with the lower strip but having openings 39 and 41therethr-ough. These openings may have thesame configuration as theopenings 26 and 27 in the fillter 24 shown in Fig. 2, or they may begiven any contour desired for providing recesses or depressionscorrespondlng to the shape of the article or articles to be disposed onthe pad. Thermoplastic material is disposed between the base and thelower surface of the imperforate filler strip 37 in a layer 42, and in alayer 43 between the contiguous surfaces of the filler strips and acrossthe upper surface of the lower strip 37 within the openings 39, 41 inthe upper strip. Preferably another layer 44 of this material is alsodisposed between the covering material and the adjacent surface of theupper filler strip.

While this'thermoplastic material may be applied in various ways aspreviously pointed out herein in connection with other aspects of theinvention, it is preferred when making a pad of the type shown in Figs.6 and 7 to apply thermoplastic material of the varnish type to the upperand lower surfaces of the lower filler strip and only to the uppersurface of the upper filler strip. This coating may be applied bycausing a roller to dip into the thermoplastic material and 'then totraverse the surface which it is desired to coat. This ,is not only avery simple operation, but also one which is inexpensive to carry outeither manually or by means of apparatus provided for this purpose. Itwill be apparent that the structure and relative arrangement of partswhich make this procedure possible are highly desirable features ofthisv modification.

In the final-step of completing this pad the edges of the coveringmaterial are tucked in between the base 35 and the lower filler strip 37and, with the base resting on the support 31, heat and pressure areapplied by means of a die'in any of the ways pointed out in connectionwith other embodiments disclosed herein. This die comprises a bodyportion 11' and an outer band 10. As the edges of the covering materialare tucked in, the lower edge of the band 10' depends to a slightlygreater extent than is the case with the band 10 shown in Figs. 3, 4 and5, but in all other respects the die may be of the same construction asthat previously described.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a means as well as aprocess for making an article of the class described which is neat andproperly formed with the various parts firmly bonded together. Hence itis assured that a product so made will be durable and will retain itsgood appearance for a long period of use. The present invention alsoprovides for reducing the cost as well as for expediting the processofmanufacture of. such articles. Obviously these features are highlydesirable in products of this character. A further important advantageresulting from the use of thermoplastic material is that the parts donot tend. to adhere or stick together during the assembling and/orforming operations, as at such times the thermo-' plastic material doesnot receive sufiicient heat to become effective. It is thus assured thatthe various parts will not be displaced, distorted, creased, wrinkled orotherwise damaged during manufacture.

It should be understood that the present disclosure 1s for the purposeof illustration only and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall w1th1n the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. The method of making a pad comprlsmg a base and a filler, whichcomprises positloning the filler above the base, disposing coveringmaterial above the filler with thermoplastic material extending betweenthe covering material and the filler and also along the upper surface ofthe base, and ailixmg these parts together in a single operation byapplying heat and pressure to the thermoplastic material.

- 2. The method of making a pad comprismg a base and a filler havingopenings therethrough which comprises positioning the filler above thebase, disposing covering material above the fillefwitbthermoplasticmaterial extending between the covering ma terial and the filler andacross the openings in the filler betweenthe covering material and thebase, and aflixing these parts together in a single operation byapplying heat and pressure to the thermoplastic material.

3. The method of making a pad comprising a base and a filler havingopenings therethrough which comprises arranging the filler above. thebase, disposing thermoplastic material over the upper surface of thefiller and over the base within the openings in the filler, spreadingcovering material over the thermoplastic material, and aflixing thecovering material, filler and base together in a single operation bycausing pressure to be exerted against the covering material andmaterial over the upper surface of the filler and over the base withinthe openings in the filler, spreading covering material over thethermoplastic material, and aflixing the covering material, filler andbase together in a single operation by supporting the base and pressingthe covering material and the thermoplastic material against the fillerand against the base within the openings in the filler while applyingheat to the covering material.

5. The method of making a pad comprising a base and a filler havingopenings therethrough which comprises positioning the filler on thebase, disposing a layer of thermoplastic material on the filler andacross the openings therein, arranging covering material over thethermoplastic material, and affixing these parts together in a singleoperation by causing pressure to be exerted against the base and againstthe covering material to press the latter and the layer of thermoplasticmaterial against the filler and against the base within the openings inthe filler while applying heat to thethermoplastic material.

6. The method of making a pad comprising a base and a filler havingopenings therethrough which comprises positioning the filler above thebase, disposing covering material above the filler with thermoplasticmaterial extending between the covering material and the filler andacross the openings in the filler between the covering material and thebase, afiixing these parts together in a single operation by bringinghot surfaces against the covering material and projecting these surfaceswith the adjacent portions of the covering material into the openings inthe filler and against the base to cause the thermoplastic material toseal the covering material to the base within the openings in thefiller.

7 The method of making a pad comprising a base and a through whichcomprises positioning the filler above the base, disposing coveringmatefiller having openings there-- rial above the filler withthermoplastic mate rial extending between the covering material and thefiller and across the openings in the filler between the coveringmaterial and the base, affixing these parts together in a singleoperation by simultaneously bringing hot surfaces against the coveringmaterial around the outer edges and over the openings in the filler andprojecting these hot surfaces with the adjacent portions of coveringmaterial against the base around the outer edges of the filler and alsointo the openings in the filler and against the base to cause thethermoplastic material to. seal the covering material to the base atthese points.

8. The method of making a pad comprising a base and a filler havingopenings therethrough which comprises positioning the filler on thebase, disposing a layer of thermoplastic material on the filler andacross the openings therein, arranging covering material over thethermoplastic material, and affixin these parts to ether in a singleoperation y supporting t e base and pressing the covering material andthe thermoplastic material against the filler and against the basewithin the openings in the filler whileapplying heat to the coverinmaterial.

9. The method of aihxing covering material to a base which comprisesapplying a layer of thermoplastic material over the base, disposing afiller, having openings therethrough, on the thermoplastic material onthe base, applying a second layer of thermoplastic material over thefiller, arranging covering material over the filler and over theopenings therethrough, simultaneously applying heat to both layers ofthermoplastic material, and pressing the covering material against thefiller and through the openings therein against the base. i

10. The method of ailixing covering material to a base which comprisesapplying a layer of thermoplastic material over the base, disposing afiller, having openings therethrough, on the thermostatic material onthe base, fitting a second layer of thermoplastic material to the uppersurface of the filler, arranging covering material over the second layerof thermoplastic material and across the openings in the filler, andaffixing the covering material, filler and base together in a singleoperation by supporting the base and pressing the covering -materialagainst both layers of thermoplastic material while applying heat to thecovering material and to the base.

11. A pad comprising a base, a filler supported by the base and havingopenings therethrough, thermoplastic material over the filler and overthe base within the openings in the filler, and coverin materialdisposed over the filler and sealed thereto and to the base within theopenings in the filler by the thermoAplastic material.

ing on the base and having openings therethrough, a substantiallycontinuous layer of pad comprising a base, a filler rester, anotherlayer of thermoplastic material disposed over the filler, and coveringmaterial extendin over the filler and base 111 engagement wit both ofsaid layers.

14. A.- die for aifixing fabric and like material to a base member,comprising a central body portion, and a band of material of good heatconductivity extending substantially entirely around the central bodyagainst the side and end walls thereof and rigid therewith, the loweredge of this band protruding below the lower surface of the central bodyportion for pressing the marginal portion of tjhe covering mater alagainst the base mem- 15. A die for affixing fabric and like material toa base member, comprising a central body portion, and protuberancesextending below the lower surface of the central body portion forpressing covering material into recesses, the lower surfaces of theprotuberances being of material having relatively high heatconductivity. u

.16. A die for afiixing fabric and like material to a base member,comprising a central body, a band of material of good heat conductivitydisposed against the side and end Walls of the central body portion andextending substantially entirely around the same, the central bodyportion being cast within this band, the lower edge of this bandprotruding below the lower surface of the central body portion forpressing the marginal portion of the covering material against the basemember, and protuberances on the central body portion and dependingbelow the lower, surface thereof for pressing covering material intorecesses, the lower surfaces of the protuberances being of material ofrelatively high heat conductivity.

17. A pad comprising a base member, an imperforate, lower filler stripsupported by the base member, an upper filler strip having openingstherethrough, covering material disposed over the upper filler strip,the edges of the covering material being turned under the lower fillerstrip, a substantially continuous layer of thermoplastic material be:tween the filler strips for securing these strips together and forsealing the covering material in the openings to the lower strip,another layer of thermoplastic material between the lower filler stripand the base for sealing this strip to the base and also for securingthe edges of the covering material.

18. The method of making a pad which comprises coating the upper andlower surfaces of a lower, imperforate filler strip with thermoplasticmaterial, forming openings through an upper filler strip and placing thelatter on the imperforate filler'strip, arranging covering material overthe upper filler strip and tucking the edges of the covering materialunder the lower filler strip,-;and applying heatl-and pressure againstthe cover- III ing material to cause the thermoplastic material to sealthe edges of the covering material to the lower filler strip and to sealthe covering material in the openings to the upper surface of the samestrip. 7

19. The method of making a pad which comprises coating the upper andlower surfaces of a lower, imperforate filler strip with thermoplasticmaterial, forming openings through an upper filler strip, coating theupper surface of this filler strip and placing the latter on the lowerimperforate filler strip, arranging covering material over the upperfiller strip and tucking the edges of the covering material under thelower filler strip, bringing a base against the tucked-in edges andagainst the lower surface of the lower filler strip, and aflixing theseparts together in a single operation by applying heat and pressureagainst the covering material to cause the thermoplastic material toseal the edges of the cover material to the lower filler strip, to sealthis strip to the base and to seal the covering material to the upperupper surface of the upper filler strip and to the upper surface of thelower filler strip within the openings in the upper strip.

Signed by me at Framingham, Mass, this sixteenth (lay of October,1930.

WILLIAM J. MONALLY.

